Editorial | Wooing women

Kentucky's senior U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell wants to persuade voters of Kentucky that women really, really like him - except for Democratic challenger Alison Lundergan Grimes, a woman who definitely doesn't like him, at least in public office.

So to burnish his image, Mr. McConnell, a Louisville Republican, staged an event to showcase his support among some women, starting with his wife, former Labor Secretary Elaine Chao.

"I have spent my life breaking through glass ceilings and I have done it with Mitch by my side," Ms. Chao said at last week's "Women for Team Mitch" rally in Louisville.

Actually Ms. Chao had already broken through multiple glass ceilings by the time she married Mr. McConnell in 1993 - by then having served as president of United Way of America, director of the Peace Corps and in several high-level government jobs in Washington.

But even if Mr. McConnell can claim points for spousal support, other claims at the rally looked pretty lame.

Press material noted Mr. McConnell was a co-sponsor of the original Violence Against Women Act, first proposed in 1990 by then-Sen. Joe Biden.

But when the legislation later became law, Mr. McConnell voted against it. And this year, he voted against reauthorization of the act aimed at reducing domestic violence and sexual assault, prompting an outpouring of criticism.

Mr. McConnell claimed he supported a different bill that provided more protection of "constitutional rights." It's more likely he caved to extremists who objected to protections for gay Americans and undocumented immigrants.

Mr. McConnell also produced women to speak about his assistance with employment situations, including a former campaign worker who said he insisted she take time off work to care for a seriously ill child.

Too bad he didn't show the same concern for other working parents when he voted against the Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993, which requires employers to give workers unpaid time off in such cases.

Mr. McConnell also opposed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, a 2009 law that expands the time people can file lawsuits in equal-pay disputes. The law was triggered by the case of an Alabama factory worker who was barred from filing a lawsuit after discovering she had been paid less than male co-workers.

Ms. Chao cited her husband's support for breast cancer research and screenings. That's the same Mr. McConnell who boasts he will destroy the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, which will extend health coverage to thousands of people in Kentucky including women seeking treatment for breast cancer or those who have been turned down for coverage because they have survived the disease.

Overall, Mr. McConnell's record when it comes to women looks very poor. Voters of Kentucky, especially women, need to remember that as he asks for your vote.

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Editorial | Wooing women

Kentucky's senior U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell wants to persuade voters of Kentucky that women really, really like him ? except for Democratic challenger Alison Lundergan Grimes, a woman who definitely